FIG. 1 illustrates a known database management technique by media servers (e.g., a virtual tape server) involving the use of stubs in storing volume data residing in a virtual volume of a cache to a physical volume stored within a media library. Specifically, volume data within a virtual volume VV residing of a cache is premigrated to the media library prior to being fully migrated to the media library. Once fully migrated, the virtual volume VV is replaced within the cache by either a normal data-stub pairing or a short stub. One drawback to this technique is the existence of the physical volume PV within the media library without a corresponding stub in the cache whereby it had to be determined whether the physical volume has expired or was an undelete candidate. Conversely, another drawback to this technique is the existence of stub, normal or short, in the cache without a corresponding physical volume migrated within the media library whereby it had to be determined if the stub was an orphan.
To address these drawbacks, media servers are being designed for the management of migrating a virtual volume residing on a cache to a physical volume within the media library without the use of stubs. This stubless design avoids the time consuming and labor intensive transfer of a database between two stub based media servers. However, a transfer of a database from a stub based media server to a database of stubless media server requires additional techniques to make the transfer efficient because the databases are based on different database management systems (e.g., ADSM and DB2). Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved method for converting physical volumes in a virtual tape server from one media format (e.g., ADSM media format) to a second media format (e.g., a DB2 media format).